By Kate McLaughlin
The Varsity Girls’ Soccer team carried a solid record of 19-4-1 throughout both their regular season and postseason. Their impressive season allowed them to grab the number one seed in the section 1 sectionals bracket.
Within sectionals, the girls quickly blew out Dobbs Ferry, Blindbrook, and Pleasantville. They finished the play in section 1 by beating Edgemont 3-1, claiming their first Section 1 Class B title since 2006.
After sectionals, the girls continued their post-season by beating Our Lady of Lourdes in the Regional Semi-finals. This game was a true nail-biter, having no score at the end of the second half. This led to a sudden death overtime in which Junior, Sofia Rosenblatt saved the day with her far-out goal. This was the first time Irvington Girls’ Soccer had won a spot in the regional finals in 34 years.
“Being the one who scored felt amazing, but I didn’t care so much that it was me who scored. All I cared about in that moment was that our journey was not over,” said Rosenblatt.
The Bulldogs did not stop there. The Girls’ claimed their first regional title ever, with their 5-0 win over Chenango Valley.
“After regionals, we didn’t want to stop until we won. We didn’t want to be co-champions, we wanted to win it all,” said Junior, Keira Nyarady, the starting left back for the Bulldogs.
The girls took a road trip up to Cortland, New York to play the state semi-final game. They faced Seaford on Saturday, November 12, and ultimately blew them away with a 5-1 win.
Their last stop was the state finals on Sunday, November 13, at Cortland High School. With a 1-1 tie score at the end of the game, Section 5’s Haverling Rams gave the Bulldogs a run for their money. In a pinch, Senior Kyli Parsons relieved the Bulldogs with a quick goal around 8 minutes into overtime.
Senior captain Kaitlyn Krieger was named the Most Outstanding Player at the end of the state championship game. Krieger broke through with the first goal of the game in order to keep Irvington in it and allow the Bulldogs a chance in overtime.
This was the first time in Irvington history that the Girls’ Soccer team took hold of a state title.
“We all went into this game with a mindset that we had no other option but to win. At the start of the overtime period, we talked about keeping our focus and winning this game for each other. Our chemistry brought us together when it needed to,” said Krieger.
